# Esoterica Margate



## Jeff10236 (Nov 21, 2010)

Hmm, I love this stuff, it was one of my first tins, and I haven't posted a review yet :hmm:. Oh well, time to rectify that.

So, lets start with the tin description:



> A classical English mixture done in the "old style" of many of the fine tobaccos that have now disappeared from the market place. Choice Orientals and generous quantities of premium Cyprian Latakia keynote this rich, full bodied blend.


Frankly, it is a very good tobacco with no surprises- it does what you'd expect from that description.

So, first I opened the mason jar and sniffed. Definitely a nice latakia smokey smell- campfire or fireplace, nice. It gives the full latakia tin experience- nice smokey, leathery goodness- a bit of the smell of a good shoe store. Then, sniffing a little deeper you can smell the Orientals- a nice spicy tang added to the mix.

Loading it into the pipe you notice the very thin ribbons of tobacco. It loads easy, and needs to be packed a little tight since it is so thin or it will burn too fast. It lights easy, burns well, and burns down to a nice, very fine, gray ash.

Smoking it I initially get a little hit of a soapy flavor and smell which latakia can sometimes give, but it isn't overpowering and doesn't detract from the enjoyability of the tobacco. As it develops, this tobacco really reminds me of a nice December or early January evening. The smokey woody smell of the latakia is very reminiscent of a fire in the fireplace. As the spiciness of the Orientals develop it really feels homey and wintery. It isn't a South of the Border kind of spice, rather the anise, nutmeg, allspice and cinnamon spice of a nice mulled cider. Again, this tobacco really feels like a nice winter evening at home.

Room note, hard to say. Usually I smoke it outside, but yesterday I smoked it in my car and it smelled similar to how it tasted, but of course it was stronger for me (smoking it) than it would be for someone else, and I was alone. By the time I got back to my car later that evening the smell had mostly dissipated and was replaced by 'new car smell', but to the degree I could tell, it seems to smell good.

It is a very mellow and smooth tobacco. Very creamy/velvety. I don't really miss Virginia or burley in this, but it isn't for when you are in the mood for something stronger, and it isn't really an everyday smoke like a VA or burley based tobacco could be. It is very good and among my favorites (in my top 4 or 5). I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes English blends or who wants to try them (though it is definitely *not* light on latakia so it might not be suitable for a first English).


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## Zfog (Oct 16, 2010)

Thanks for the review Jeff as always. I am looking forward to finishing some of my open tins so I can crack a tin of this open!


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## karatekyle (Nov 2, 2010)

Esoterica seems to produce some good blends. I've been meaning to look around for stonehaven or penzance, they seem to have quite a following. Problem is, they have quite a following. They're out of stock everywhere!


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## Jeff10236 (Nov 21, 2010)

karatekyle said:


> Esoterica seems to produce some good blends. I've been meaning to look around for stonehaven or penzance, they seem to have quite a following. Problem is, they have quite a following. They're out of stock everywhere!


I've never tried Stonehaven, but Penzance is my favorite tobacco. There are several tobaccos I really like, or even love, and almost nothing comes close to Penzance (there is _one_ that competes with Penzance for the #1 spot, SG Perfection). Good stuff. It does seem to only be released very occasionally, then when it is released it sells out fast. You really have to be on the ball if you want some.

I currently have an 8oz bag, an unopened tin, and a partial tin. It would be cruel to send you a sample when I send you the pipes I'm sending since it could be 6 months or more before it becomes available again, but if you would like, let me know and I'll send you some.


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## karatekyle (Nov 2, 2010)

Jeff10236 said:


> I've never tried Stonehaven, but Penzance is my favorite tobacco. There are several tobaccos I really like, or even love, and almost nothing comes close to Penzance (there is _one_ that competes with Penzance for the #1 spot, SG Perfection). Good stuff. It does seem to only be released very occasionally, then when it is released it sells out fast. You really have to be on the ball if you want some.
> 
> I currently have an 8oz bag, an unopened tin, and a partial tin. It would be cruel to send you a sample when I send you the pipes I'm sending since it could be 6 months or more before it becomes available again, but if you would like, let me know and I'll send you some.


Oh gosh thats so very generous of you but I have quite a cellar-full right now. I've had like 3 or 4 guys send me multiple full pouches of their stuff, I can't keep up with all the donations!!

And besides, I have a pretty poorly developed palate for pipe tobacco. Too many strong cigars have made my palate pretty bad at recognizing the delicate intricacies of the pipe. I'd rather you not waste your good baccy on this bumbling piper!


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## jtree26 (Aug 20, 2008)

Margate is definitely a good, solid latakia/oriental blend.


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## Aquinas (Mar 30, 2010)

Very nice review Jeff. I will have to try this one.


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## z0diac (May 18, 2010)

I just tried this 15 mins ago. After smoking a few bowls of Sam Gawith 1792 the previous couple days, this one caught be a bit off guard. There's definitely a soapy/perfume taste to it that I didn't really go for. Well, to be blunt, it turned me off. The smoke itself was very smooth. Smooth through the nose, not a lot of heat that I could notice. The taste left in the mouth wasn't unpleasant, but it wasn't really strong enough to build much of an opinion about. But it was that initial soapy perfume taste and smell (especially when exhaling through the nose) that I didn't like.

I MIGHT finish this tin as I'll probably keep going back to it to continue giving it 'a second chance' over and over, but I won't be buying it again. Of course, it's unfair to make any judgement after only one smoking of it. Maybe my mood will fit it perfectly next time and I'll have completely opposite thing to say next time. Who knows.


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## BrewShooter (Mar 17, 2011)

I'll have to try this. Personally, I actually like a little bit of that soapy character in latakia blends. I can see how it would turn some people away though. I was trying Boswell's Northwoods the other day and was disappointed that the soapy character wasn't as pronounced as the Larry's Blend I was smoking a few days earlier.


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## italiansmoker (Sep 30, 2009)

Penzance is the Queen of Orientals and Margate... the Princess


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## HWiebe (Jul 13, 2010)

I cracked a tin of Margate at last night's herf. It is quite possibly the most pungent English blend I've ever had. It will have to grow on my as I tasted primarily laundry detergent, Tide to be precise. Will have to try it again in a few days.


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## Mycroft Holmes (Jan 20, 2011)

I bet you will try it now Tom, since I left my jar of Margate at your place a few weeks ago. 



Aquinas said:


> Very nice review Jeff. I will have to try this one.


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

I had some of this in the Blind Taste Test. I don't dislike it, but not a keeper for me. Can't really say why, precisely. Penzance is more my speed for this sort of thing. Whatever, a really nice review, Jeff. :tu


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## asmartbull (Aug 16, 2009)

Take my opinion with a grain of salt since I still
don't know my arse form my elbow about pipe tobacco,
but I do really enjoy this blend.
I too love Penzance, and this is a good change of pace.

Last week, I happened to add a little Across the Pond to a bowl of Margate and
was surprised how much I enjoyed it...


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

asmartbull said:


> Last week, I happened to add a little Across the Pond to a bowl of Margate and
> was surprised how much I enjoyed it...


I'm beginning to take some sort of gestalt view of tobacco at this point. While individual blends have their merit, I offer that no blend is so complex that it can't be made more so. "What might this taste like with a pinch of...?" I can just hear the agonized horror through the ether: "Hmmm...this FVF might be really good if I dropped a shred or two of BCA in there with it."

"You're not REALLY gonna put A1 sauce on that steak are you!?" :spy:


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## tupacboy (Sep 10, 2009)

nice review... gotta try this one too now


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